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“Happily, those experimental tendencies are offset by strong compositions and melodies, so they
never descend into the tuneless racket some associate with improvised music.”

Pianist Marilyn Lerner is the best-known member of this trio, but
drummer Nick Fraser and cellist Matt Brubeck also
have substantial, impressive resumés that span a wide range of styles. Lerner has made a career of jumping nimbly between klezmer, jazz, improv and modern
classical music, all while balancing a flair for experimentation with a love of melody, which
should give you some idea of where Ugly Beauties fall on the musical
spectrum. There’s a mixture of group improvisations and individual compositions by all three
members. Although Lerner makes the greatest contribution, the album is
more about the interplay between the musicians and their effortless improvising. They’re all
creative players, and at moments they whip up such a storm of strange textures and tones that you
forget you’re listening to just three acoustic instruments. Happily, those experimental tendencies
are offset by strong compositions and melodies, so they never descend into the tuneless racket some
associate with improvised music.